1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to book holding apparatus and, more particularly, to such apparatus which incorporates assemblies for manually turning the pages of a book, when desired, and retaining the pages in position both before and after they are turned.
2. Description of the Related Art
The prior art is replete with examples of devices which serve to hold a book in a particular position so that a reader can read the exposed pages without having to hold the book himself. More elaborate apparatus may not only hold the book open but also turn the pages when desired or signaled by the reader.
The need for such apparatus has arisen for the handicapped as well as for those who need to read material contained in book form while using their hands for other things, such as pianists or other musicians who have resort to such apparatus while playing their instruments and reading music. It is also a matter of convenience for many people who do not consider it a necessity.
A number of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 896,480, 940,219, 1,059,901, 1,164,355, 1,215,262, 1,339,261, 1,397,885, 1,735,166, 2,755,580, 2,791,847, 2,885,806, 2,991,680, 4,463,651, 4,553,467, 4,685,374, 4,936,034, and 5,233,900. A brief reference to any of these patents will illustrate the general elaborateness and complexity of the disclosed apparatus, most of which are equipped with motors or other powered devices for activating the mechanisms which are provided for turning the pages.
Many of these devices were unreliable, inconvenient to use or simply not functional. Many of them are costly as well, cumbersome and difficult or inconvenient to attempt to use. Accordingly, they are generally not commonly marketed items.
Typical of these devices are the arrangements disclosed in the two Goldner U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,553,467 and 4,685,374, the latter being a continuation-in-part of the former. Both disclose a motor driven, rotating assembly having a plurality of spokes or arms extending from a central hub. In both, the rotating assembly comprises a first pair of opposed elongated arm members as page turners and a second pair of elongated arms, shorter in length than the arms of the first pair, to serve as hold-down members. While the present invention shares the objectives of page turning and page holding which are asserted for the Goldner devices, the structure disclosed herein is vastly different from the structures of Goldner.
In brief, particular arrangements in accordance with the present invention comprise a pair of like assemblies mounted on an easel which supports the book in which the pages are to be turned. The easel in turn is supported on an adjustable stand. A pair of straps serve to hold the book in a central position on the easel.
In this arrangement, the assembly on the right-hand side of the easel includes a pair of rods generally mounted orthogonally to each other. These rods are mounted on a pivot axis which is reciprocally rotatable. As the rods reciprocate about the pivot axis, they respectively alternate between holding the exposed page on the right-hand part of the book flat against the stand and releasing the exposed page so it can be turned manually to the other side of the book where the turned pages are collected. As the reciprocal rotation continues, the page-turning rod moves into position to hold the next page flat against the book while the other rod moves from the page-holding position to a position where it will turn the next page when the assembly is pivoted back toward the first position.
The rod assembly on the left-hand side of the easel is identical to the rod assembly on the right-hand side, merely being mounted in an inverted position relative to the right-hand side rod assembly. This results in its presenting a mirror image of the right-hand side rod assembly. Reciprocating rotation about the pivot axis of the rod assembly on the left-hand side results in a page which has been turned being added to the stack of pages already collected, while this stack is retained in position against the easel.
The mounting brackets for these assemblies are adjustable with respect to the easel along slots in the easel so that each assembly may be adjusted upward or downward in position. The mounting brackets also permit adjustment of the rod assemblies in directions which are orthogonal to the easel, thereby enabling them to compensate for variations in thickness of the portions of the book which are respectively held by these assemblies.
The easel itself, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, is mounted on a cylindrical horizontal member in a manner which permits the easel to be adjusted both as to the angle at which the book is supported, varying between vertical and horizontal, as well as being adjustable transversely between left and right.
The cylindrical support member is itself mounted on a vertical support member which may be adjusted to vary the height at which the easel is maintained. The base of the stand is provided with extended stabilizing feet which serve to maintain the stand stable and keep it from tipping over.